I'm very happy to be here, Satu, thanks so much for inviting me. Let's see, what can I tell you about myself?

I guess I should mention that Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is my seventh novel. I write a lot of plays as well, which keeps me busy. I also teach English at a small college here in Northern California. I like yoga, swimming, hummingbirds and chocolate.

What's "Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft" about?

It’s about a 17-year-old witch-in-training who must hone her newfound magical powers in order to save her mother from an evil necromancer. Oh, and it has magical chocolate cake plus cute boys!

Tell us a bit more about the hero/heroine?

Here's how I feel about Audrey, though I'm sure every reader has his or her own take on her: she's fierce, a little snarky, somewhat insecure. During the course of the book she learns she's an alchematrix, a very powerful and rare sort of witch who can use the forces around her, mix them inside her body, and focus them into a laser-like weapon. She has other magical skills as well, but that's kind of her superpower.

I'm sure you love all your characters, but who's your favorite from "Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft"?

I'm pretty sure Sadie was my favorite (but don't tell Audrey!) I love her fashion sense, her innate stylishness, and her bewilderment in the "mundane" world. I also really love Megan, even though she's kind of bratty. Megan's a charismatic rock star, which I'd seriously love to be.
Audrey gave me some trouble, maybe because she started as a totally different sort of person in the earliest drafts, but once I found her voice, I was off and running. It took me many years to find the right protagonist to tell this story though.

What gave you the idea for the book?

I wanted to explore what I knew about real witches but also create a world where their power could be even more breathtaking and effective. I'm fascinated with witchcraft. It's fair to say I'm a pagan at heart--always have been, since I was a child. There's a thrilling power running through the natural world, and the idea of tapping that is just so intriguing. Even just living in tune with the seasons and the cycles is a kind of magic, I think. As a teen living in Northern California, I was surrounded by new age types, some of whom practiced witchcraft. I even dabbled in spells and ceremonies some myself--just basic stuff--so it wasn't that foreign to me.

When is your favorite time to write?

Morning, before my brain gets too cluttered.

If you'd have to become any kind of creature from paranormal genre, which would that be?

A fairy or a mermaid--I can't decide!

Ever visited, or even heard about, Finland? (Something I have to ask from everyone :))

I've never been to Finland, though I have spent time in Scandinavia a couple of times. Last summer my husband and I did a home exchange with four twenty-somethings from Copenhagen. They came and stayed at our house in California and we explored Denmark for almost a month, staying in their adorable apartment. It was fabulous! We did venture to Sweden for the day, but we never made it to Finland, though not from lack of interest. I loved Denmark; everything is so smart and efficient and beautifully designed there. Christiania is a wild, fascinating wonderland!

What's the best book(s) you've ever read? Which authors do you admire?

I can never seem to answer this question simply! So many writers have seduced my imagination at different times in my life. Some of my favorites in the realm of “classics” include Nabokov, both of the Brontes (but especially Charlotte) and Jane Austen. I love funny British writers like Helen Fielding, Nick Hornby and Sophie Kinsella. I read a lot of YA these days and some of my favorite writers are Beth Fantaskey, Nina LaCour, Maggie Stiefvater, Katie Crouch and Stacey Jay. Right now I'm listening to the audio version of a book called Dare Me by Megan Abbott and it's blowing me away.

Free word, anything you would like to say to my readers?

Just that Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is free every Dark of the Moon, because I really want to get the word out about this book; using the moon cycles to promote it seemed witchy and fun. Readers can find the details on my website. Also, I hope to visit Finland someday. It looks amazing.

Falling in Love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer —
it’s all in a day’s work for Audrey Oliver, seventeen-year-old witch-in-training.

When her mother goes missing and her twenty-one-year-old witchy cousin shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something’s gone horribly, dangerously wrong. Now it’s up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother’s secret past.

RULES
There's two giveaways!

First giveaway is open internationally:
There will be three winners, each winner gets an ebook of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft.

Second giveaway is open US/CA:
There will be one winner, who will get signed print copy of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft.

Entries are verified.

Both giveaways end September 26th 2012 12:01 AM
You can enter both giveaways by filling out the forms below.

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